Early morning partiers can buy a drink after 2 a.m. again.
For many, the War Eagle Supper Club was an Auburn tradition, but it was also the only bar in Auburn that could sell alcohol after 2 a.m. The bar was eligible for a club license because it was located near city limits.
After the legendary bar closed, Auburn had lost not only a local landmark but also the only club in Auburn.
Fat Daddy’s, a bar located off Wire Road next to the veterinary hospital, recently changed that.
Chip Carter, owner of Fat Daddy’s and longtime Auburn local, said he holds high regard for the Supper Club and knew he didn’t want to compete with them while they were open.
“A lot of my friends really didn’t want to step on their toes, and I didn’t see a problem with that,” Carter said. “I’ve got a lot of memories, I’m from around here ... I was jumping the fence to get in the Supper Club when I was 18.”
Carter, now 54, has owned and operated Fat Daddy’s since 2001, when it was just a restaurant with a small bar.
In the mid-2000s, Gin Tilley Station, a bar and neighbor to Fat Daddy’s, closed.
It was then Carter saw an opportunity for expansion.
“This place had been a bar since the ‘60s or ‘70s,” Carter said. “It was called Gin Tilley Station. Anyway, so that guy got crossways with the landlord and moved, and I had already decided to take this space, but I thought, ‘Gosh, why let somebody else move in and take a business that’s been here forever?’”
Michael Price managed Fat Daddy’s when it was just a restaurant, and he was present when the bar expanded.
Though he has since left the business, he still enjoys the bar and is good friends with Carter.
“It just has that homey feel to it, kind of has an ‘everybody knows your name’ type of feel, a honky tonk-type of feel,” Price said.
Price also said the music is an important part of what is great about Fat Daddy’s.
“It’s almost a guarantee they have live music, and it’s always a good variety,” Price said.
Fat Daddy’s presents live music three nights per week where performers will play early into the morning.
Carter is dedicated to playing live music at his bar.
“We really try to support local people if we can, and I got to tell you, it almost feels like a dying thing, the live music around here,” Carter said.
Carter said he wants to make sure the art of live music stays in Auburn.
“I like live music,” Carter said. “When you get good live music, it’s better than canned or whatever they got ... I’m flexible, but I just like to see live music.”
As a club, Fat Daddy’s offers a $5 lifetime membership, which is required for the club license.
Unlike the bars downtown, Fat Daddy’s is open seven days a week.
Specials at Fat Daddy’s run 4-9 p.m. daily.
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